Wichita eagle., 1887-09-11
THE CITY IN THE SEA
Venice as Seen by the Eagles
Special Correspondent.
Col. Stewards Pen POrtraitUre of the
City Drafted From q Clipper
Candida.

|
/ City Drafted From Clipper
Candida.
NO. XXI.
MILAN, Italy, Aug, 18th, 1887.
To the Editor OF The Eagle.
Leaving Verona on the afternoon train
we sped rapidly along through landscape
not in the least picturesque, nor worthy so
far as could see of more than the passing
glance bestowed upon it. The fields in
cultivation were of the quilt-patch order.
separated by rows of olive trees or grape
vines. The whole country seemed to be
undergoing fearful drowth, judged by
the dry beds of the streams. the brown
grass and fired condition of the corn. The
long horned, white or mouse colored oxen
common to this region, with lolling tongues
toiled along the dusty. dazzling highway
with huge loads ofhemp, whilst the women
In the fields. mostly bareheaded, worked
on unmIndful of the fierce rays of old Sol.
Then we struck dead level country, and
pretty soon were running along narrow
tongue with water on each side of us, and
before we could realize 1t we found our
selves at the end of the track where
gondolas were waiting to convey us a mile
or two further to the hotel. 1t is consider
ed the proper caper to pile up the adjec-
tive in relating ones first expert.
ence on beholding Venice. The
Cook party" having entirely exhausted
the supply, am thrown on my own re-
sources and would be compelled to coin
phrases expressive Of my delight, did 1
think could do the subject justice, but II
cawnt do it, ye knaw." Everyone Is fami-
liar with the characteristics of this city
built in the sea az 1t were, on one hundred
and seventeen islands reached by means of
one hundred and fifty canals which are
spanned by no less than three hundred and
eventy-eight arched bridges constructed of
stone. The foundations of all buildings,
many of them dating back centuries and
cent uries ago were laid according to the
Golfer dam system in vogue by us at the
present time in constructing stone piers for
bridges. There is little that is strictly
modern about Venice One sees evidences
of prosperity more in the shops and facto-
ries and commercial enterprises than in the
er ection of new buildings. The fact is
We nice with 1876, 600 people seems to have
about attained its growth, leastways have
no recollection of seeing any new build.
ings under Roadway, which is the surest
sign whether city is advancing or other
wise.
On reaching Venice by rail passengers
are convey ed from the depot to the hotels
by gondolas, corresponding to cabs or
buses, and accommodating two, four or as
many as can crowd In according |
to seating capacity. With more than four
passengers there are invariably two rowers,
one at the bow using single oar on the |
left, the other at the stern using a single |
oar on the right The oarsmen are called |
gondaliers and have been celebrated In |
song and story for ages. All of the passen-
ger traffic of Venice is performed by them.
A single gondolier standing in the stern of |
his unique craft and only plying one oar
will convey four persons at as great rate
of speed, as one horse would convey the
same number of persons through the
streets of Rome. Many of the gondolas
are fitted up in considerable elegance with
Gus hioned seats and embroidered canopies. |
The gondoliers, especially those catering
to the bon ton traffic, are handsome fellows
clad in white linen jacket and trousers,
with colored silk sash around the waist.
At night they 60 bareheaded, and whether
or acquired strike an attitude in
rowing which is grace itself, or, as Judge
Perkins expressed it, the poetry of motion
e xemplifed"
Venice by moonlight is a vision of love
illness. | have read of the realms of the
en- chantment and of elysian fields; have
gone into extacies over a picture painted
by masterhand, and been tr ans
ported beyond the bounds of IA
tionality by the eloquence of one who
reached above the stars for inspiration.
Having slipped with Euripides and rocked
with Socrates, am prepared to say that
ride by moonlight in four seated gon-
dola, manned by a gondolier. who might
have personated the statute of Achilles,
minus the arrow, dwarfs all conception of
emotional spirit, and subject to all the
conditions and surroundings that attended
a certain quartette who, one evening, when
the moon had attained its fullness, decended
from the steps of treir hotel into an open
gondola and glided by doorways where
the family matinee was in progress, past
scenes of revelry where the clinkiDg of
glasses revealed the censuous worship of
Bacc hus, past msrts of trade where tn e
sealed doors and windows betokened ces-
sstion of hostilities for the day, past barges
returning leisurely from the busy haunts
Of traffic. from shadow and the gruff
shouts of boatsman, dead walls and stencil,
into the bright moonlight-the enchanted